Cotswold Wildlife Park zebras - Bubbablue and me
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Cotswold Wildlife park rough and tumble with friends

April has to be one of the best months. It’s the start of (hopefully) more consistently good weather, and this weekend was certainly a great start to the month.  With 20C both days, we were lucky in that we’d already agreed to meet up with friends and go out for the day. So it was lining up to be a great day outdoors.  Picnics at the ready, we picked them up and headed off to an old favourite Cotswold Wildlife Park.

Cotswold Wildlife Park zebras - Bubbablue and me

On arrival it wasn’t far off lunchtime but we managed to hold the boys off with a walk over to see the large animals.  The giraffes were avoiding all the crowds, so no nice photos like last time, although we did get to see the lion, lioness and their cubs enjoying the sun.

lion cubs at Cotswold wildlife park
rhino sitting down at Cotswold wildlife park
camels at cotsold wilflife park

The rhinos were also enjoying their sunbathing and the camels were shedding but obviously feeling happy in the warmth.  N likes the zebras, but this time he was more focused on getting to the train.

Of course being boys in wide open spaces, there was a lot of running, hiding, jumping out and rolling around on top of each other.  N did manage to carry the picnic rug a lot of the way which I was impressed with.

running fun with friends
rough and tumble boys
chiling out at cotswold wildlife park

The birds weren’t that much of a draw, but we were lucky to see 2 of the wolves roaming around their enclosure. I don’t think we’ve ever seen any at Cotswold Wildlife Park so it was nice to see them stalking around.  N’s friend wanted to know what would happen if he threw his hat in…yep, that’d be a lost hat, because none of us would be going in to get it!

flamingoes at cotswold wildlife park
lined up turtles
wolf in the trees

We thought we’d have to wait in a big queue for the train, but we were fine just to get on the returning one. If you’re someone who gets chilly, sit at the front of a carriage where you get a bit more shelter from the wind.  The journey was only short, but the boys loved it, and N was even happy to let me have a photo. Only me though, not my friend. He’s fickle, my son!

watching the train
sunny days and waiting for the tree
grins on the train

We’d bought our picnic lunches with us so it was just a decision on where to set ourselves down. We decided on the grass outside the restaurant and by the playground.  Surprisingly with the lure of the equipment the boys did sit down and eat nicely, demolishing pretty much everything put in front of them.  It turns out N is a Pringles monster.  I wonder where he gets that from (ahem)?  While it was really busy with everyone out in the sun for the Easter holidays we didn’t feel hemmed in.

6yos and conversations

Then it was adventure playground time.  They have a great playground at Cotswold Wildlife Park segmented into different areas so children of different ages have age appropriate equipment. We also liked that most is under the shade which is great in hot weather.

climbing up to the slide
balancing on the tree course
rope bridge climbing

We tried to hold off ice creams as long as possible but the boys really weren’t keen on checking out the monkeys. It was all about the ice creams.  They were good even though we had to queue for a while.  In the meantime, the boys had climbed onto a tree and had made a little friend. Until N read a sign saying don’t climb the tree so got down, leaving the other 2 behind. My goody two shoes – he’s so my son.

climbing the tree
ice cream's a neat eat.
penguins at feeding time

Ice creams eaten there wasn’t much else we wanted to see.  A quick check on the penguins who were being fed in front of a huge audience. We did manage to squeeze into a spot but after a short watch the boys were ready to go home.

I couldn’t resist taking flower photos on the walk round too.

frilly tulips
Spring daisies

It felt like we hadn’t really seen much by the time we left, even though we’d spent nearly 5 hours there.  It was just wonderful to be out in the sun and enjoying time to relax with friends.

Let’s hope for more sunny days out with friends over the summer.

Can you recommend any wildlife parks or have you been to Cotswold Wildlife Park before?

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20 Comments

  1. What a great day out – I love the pic of the tortoises all lined up on the branch in the water – how funny! I used to love days out like this but my dds are getting a little old for safari parks now which is a shame as I have heard the Cotswold Safari Park is a great one. You had sunshine too – perfect!

  2. What an impressive selection of animals! Looks like a lovely day with lots to do. Well done to N for helping to carry the picnic blanket, I’m not looking forward to not having the buggy anymore for times like this!
    #CountryKids

  3. That looks like a fabulous day out and N and his friend look like they enjoyed it. I love the photo of the lions. The lure of ice-cream is strong – my girls would have chosen ice-cream over seeing more animals too! #countrykids

    1. Hard to get the lions through the glass but came out well. Yes, ice cream would be my top choice too – they’ve got it sorted.

  4. This isn’t a place we have visited before but it sounds like a great day out espically with all the animals and a train! Monkeys all about the playground so that would definitely tick from him! #CountryKids

  5. Loving the variety of animals there and the space where you can go on a wrestling match with your friend =) #countrykids

  6. It looks like the boys had the best time….It sounds and looks like a fantastic place to visit.
    I don’t think I have ever seen wolves at a place like this before. How fantastic.
    #CountryKids

  7. Cotswold Wildlife Park looks like the perfect place to explore for two friends on an adventure, N looks like he loved messing around with his friend. It’s great that you got to see some animals you don’t usually see, wolves are usually the most difficult to spot in their enclosures. That adventure playground looks fab too, I can see why you managed to spend a full afternoon exploring!

    Thanks for linking up with me on #CountryKids.

    1. I find it really interesting to see how he interacts with friends especially those he made friends with before I was friends with the mum. Thanks for stopping by

  8. We went to Cotswold Wildlife Park a few years ago and thought it was absolutely brilliant. Great open spaces for the animals and lots to keep the children entertained. Must try to get there again soon. Thanks for sharing. #countrykids

    1. The space is great, because apart from in the walled garden around the penguins, the rest of the time it never feels too enclosed and busy even on hot summer days

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